Many Australians have been shocked by images of the drought in Queensland, with stories of dead livestock and struggling farmers making front page news. The common explanation is El Nino, a weather pattern that limits rainfalls and pushes temperatures to new heights.

What has been less widely reported is the impact of El Nino in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in Papua New Guinea. A dry winter, combined with record frosts, dealt a devastating blow to the country's food supplies. Starvation is now a real possibility for some New Guineans, particularly those living in the hard-to-reach highlands.

As Australia and Papua New Guinea both prepare for a drawn-out dry spell, Australia is recognising its obligation to help its neighbours face a common threat.

What is El Nino?

While El Nino might sound like a menu item at your favourite taco truck, the term refers to a naturally occurring weather pattern. 

In an El Nino period, sea surface temperatures become warmer than average, which weakens or even reverses the direction of trade winds. As a consequence, rainfall drops, temperatures go extreme and entire regions dry up for months at a time. In other parts of the world, rainfall intensifies, leading to extreme flooding. 

According to recent calculations by the Australian Bureau of Meterology, the last six months have shown El Nino is back with a vengeance. The BOM recently reported that sea surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific are now around 2.4 degrees Celsius above average, the highest margin ever recorded.

How is it affecting communities?

In Papua New Guinea, the effects are simple to measure–villages are straight up running out of food.

An island nation just north of Queensland, PNG has a sunny, tropical climate. This year, however, PNG has had to contend with limited rainfall and record frosts–a freak turn of events in a place famous for palm trees and rainforests.

These uncharacteristic conditions have wiped out the food gardens of many people, especially those living in the mountainous Highlands. CARE Australia reports that many villagers have less than one month’s food left in the ground and currently walk up to three hours in round trips to fetch water.

IOM is expanding its drought response in Papua New Guinea as El Niño effects deepen: https://t.co/46qWp3Sqcspic.twitter.com/MWsX705d2p

— IOM Asia-Pacific (@IOMasiapacific) November 4, 2015

According to the PNG Prime Minister's office, 1.3 million people are at “high risk” in current conditions. It's not just a matter of physical deprivation – education is also stopping in its tracks, as many schools reduced their hours or temporarily close. Thousands of people have begun to leave their homes in the mountains to seek aid in the more populated towns.

In several regional areas, at least 10 deaths from starvation have been reported, though exact numbers are hard to come by. If history is anything to go by, the stakes are high–during similar conditions in 1997, hundreds of people died, with the mortality rate hitting seven per cent in some remote areas.

Lending a hand

The PNG's prime minister's department has identified the crisis as a top priority, spending the equivalent of $7 million AUD on relief supplies and deliveries to the worst affected areas.

This, however, may only make a temporary difference to rural New Guineans, who are facing a long summer with dwindling supplies. According to PNG government estimates, ongoing food relief alone will cost $91 million for the next six to 12 months.

Even with current aid efforts, concerns have been raised about government contributions – many rural people report that help has not reached their villages and other accuse the government of misappropriating funds.

Into this fray, Australia has stepped in to offer a helping – if modest – hand.

Earlier this month, Foreign Affairs minister Julie Bishop toured the affected areas in PNG, including the Enga Province where over 300,000 people face shortages. Following the tour, Ms Bishop announced a $9 million aid package from the Australian government.

Of the pledged funding, $5 million will go to specific programs for drought-relief, mainly offering technical and logistical support. A further $500,000 to towards seeds for drought-resistant crops, drought-mapping and co-ordinating relief logistics, while the remaining $4 million will go directly to charities providing aid in the region.

Until recently, the PNG government has been reluctant to accept outside aid for anything but technical support, according to reports from the United Nations Development agency. The Australian aid deal may be a signal the Prime Minister may be open to other forms of support such as food donations or relief funding.

What is clear is that PNG, like many nations in the Asia Pacific, can't face this crisis alone. Across the region, we all live in the shadow of  the same weather systems. El Nino doesn't stop at our national borders–and neither should our efforts to help the worst affected.